𝑶𝑵𝑬
Inho doesn't hate rollercoasters, not at all, he just doesn't see the thrill of them like others do. To him, it's just a mechanical cart attached to many more mechanical carts.
He'd say he prefers shooting games more, due to the fact that he's a police officer in training, of course. Ring tossing or ball throwing are also a few that he takes a shine to, he's keen on those type of games that challenges his skills.
But nonetheless, he agrees to ride one, let alone go to an amusement park... as per Junho, his younger brother's request.
And you might think that he's supposed to at least try or pretend to have fun, right? Even if he dislikes the ride? Well, not when you're friends with a bunch of douchebags.
Yes, Inho has friends — believe it or not — friends that are supposed to be his support group, his ride or dies, not people who put him down— Now he was just being dramatic.
"I'm going to kill you all when we get off this."
Inho threatened as they all laughed at him. They were well aware that he could possibly end them all in one go if he wanted to, but in these cases, they were just empty threats.
Now, 'what happened?' you may wonder. Why curious human, you ask too many questio—
He was late.
Late to their agreed call time. And so, his ever loving friends — mostly Minjoon — decided to dare him to sit at the front car of the rollercoaster ride they were lining up for. Alone or with a complete stranger.
The dare did honestly embarrass him to say the least. The thought of sitting there alone or with a stranger, with people behind him, his friends behind him. He doesn't even like rollercoasters to begin with. This was just going great for him.
Inho being late was like a red moon sighting, not the rarest but still once in a lifetime. That's why his friends had taken the opportunity and dared him, a payback of some sort to all those times he nagged and scolded them for being late themselves, even if it was mere minutes.
He always used the excuse of being the eldest, not that it meant anything —well, it did — but that's besides the point!
They were still laughing and giggling like annoying teenagers behind Inho, when he got hit with the sudden realization. He looked back at his friends, immediately spotting who and who would sit beside each other.
Junho was the one exactly behind him, behind and close by the man was Daeho, their second youngest. They were chatting happily with one another, like they always did. The next duo he spotted was Noeul and Junhee, and of course they would decide to sit beside each other, they were the only women in their group after all. Behind the ladies were the last three men. Beomseok, Minjoon and Gyeongseok.
Minjoon was the one doing most of the talking, be it he's the one in the middle, Beomseok just listened, or at least tried to, while Gyeongseok added a few words of his own to the 'conversation'.
They were a group of eight. If he has to sit at front all by himself or with a complete stranger — then that meant that another one of them would have the same misfortune as him. Although behind him.
Inho singles out on Gyeongseok, staring at him. The man stares back and raises a thick brow, a silent question if the latter wanted to tell him something.
The dared man just did a slicing motion between the art major and the business major, seemingly cutting the man out of the trio. Then doing the 'an eye for an eye' gesture afterwards. Without even saying a single word, he turned his back to the man.
To say Gyeongseok was confused was an understatement, he was utterly bewildered.
He glanced at Junho and Daeho who were already laughing at him after witnessing the whole ordeal. They shrug their shoulders when they noticed Gyeongseok's confused state. As if telling him that even they had no idea what that was all about.
Gyeongseok then glanced at the two women. Noeul was covering her face but judging by the way her shoulders were shaking, she was trying her best to stiffle her laughter. Junhee did the same, although she hid her face on the taller woman's shaking shoulder.
He then glanced at the men beside him, sighing in relief when it seemed that none of the two noticed Inho's confusing action. A whine of annoyance came right after the sigh when the artist realized what Inho meant.
"Oh my god... I'm going to sit with a complete stranger!" Gyeongseok cries out, earning a loud cackle from Junho and Daeho, physically folding from amusement. Noeul and Junhee still tried to hold their laughter to probably spare a bit of his dignity. But they followed the first two men, doubling down. Beomseok only snorts, Minjoon mocks Gyeongseok with fake pity.
"Awww.. is our introverted Picasso afraid of sitting beside someone they don't know?" The prim and proper man puts on an exaggerated pout.
"Don't worry, look at the bright side! At least you don't have to sit at the front." Inho turns to Minjoon and just scoffs hearing that.
"That doesn't make it any better!" Gyeongseok counters.
"The front cars aren't even that bad, I actually like the front. You know what? I'll just join Inho-hyung there."
Inho felt relieved when Gyeongseok started making his way to him, only for that relief to be shattered when Minjoon lightly pushed the painter back to his former place and wags his index finger.
"Nuh-uh, we said he's the only one sitting at front." Minjoon faces Inho.
"Besides, fate might be on your side today and end up living a happy married life with the person you sat next to!"
Despite looking at Inho, the statement was also directed towards Gyeongseok. Minjoon just thought that out of all eight of them, those two deserved to be in healthy and happy relationships. Though he would never admit it to their faces.
"This is so unfair, what did I even do to you? Huh??" Inho narrows his eyes at Minjoon.
"Well, if you never went 'nye-nye-nye' everytime we were late, then none of this would have happened." Minjoon retorts with a shrug and a face of a bratty child, as if he wasn't a twenty-five year old man.
"You sound like a grandpa, you know?" The eldest one wanted to pinch the man's nose, but that would just prove his point, so he just rolls his eyes.
"I'm literally just a year older than you."
"Even if Inho-oppa never nagged us everytime we're late, you'd still find the excuse to give him that dare because you're a complete menace" Junhee snickers.
Minjoon dramatically gasps and holds his chest "I am not!"
He puts his hands together in a prayer position "I am a very kind person".
"Would a 'good person' ever think about offering a homeless person a piece of bread from a bakery and a lottery ticket, only to stomp on the bread in front of said homeless person if ever they chose the lottery ticket over the bread?" Junho raises a questioning brow.
The wannabe salesman stomps his foot, clearly agitated about being asked the question again and again with doubt.
"I told you, that had a meaning!"
The younger Hwang just rolls his eyes "Yeah.. sure".
The older Hwang brother suddenly remembered when Minjoon brought up that thought to them. Even then, he never understood his mindset on that, despite also studying psychology.
'What meaning even is there? Tomfoolery? Assholery-'
His train of thoughts were cut when Inho felt his brother lightly push him. Signaling that the line was progressing and that they were the next batch to ride.
Inho mentally cringes at the sight of someone already sitting at the right car at front. He would have honestly preferred sitting there alone now.
Sure his friends would make fun of him, but what is there to loose? He could always pinch their ears afterwards, and that includes Gyeongseok and Beomseok. They aren't safe just because they weren't too involved on the dare, but they were here, so it still counts.
Despite his worries, Inho made his way to the front. Hoping that whoever was beside him was not the chatty type and try to start a conversation with him.